Who is Yang Tengbo, the alleged Chinese spy with ties to Prince Andrew who has just been named?

A CHINESE BUSINESSMAN who was barred from the UK in recent days for allegedly spying for the Chinese government has been named as businessman Yang Tengbo.

Yang Tengbo, previously known by the codename H6, is described as having had an “unusual degree of trust” with Britain’s Prince Andrew and is reported to have met several recent British prime ministers.

Yang, who strongly denies allegations that he is a spy, lost an appeal last week over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds.

In the ruling on Thursday, judges assessed that Yang was in a position to “generate relationships between senior Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State”.

Here’s everything that is known about the alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo.

Who is Yang Tengbo/H6?

Yang’s identity was revealed this afternoon following a High Court ruling in London.

The 50-year-old, who also used the name Christopher Yang, had previously remained anonymous under a High Court order.

Yang’s lawyers originally appealed to have his anonymity maintained, but agreed to the order being lifted today. An MP for the Reform Party had said he would use parliamentary privilege to identify Yang if the courts did not do so.

The businessman was born in Yunnan, southwest China. He graduated with a history degree from a local university before spending seven years working for a “national government agency”.

Yang moved to the UK in 2002, later founding Hampton Group in London in 2005, an investment consultant group which “acts as a bridge between companies in China and the rest of the world“.

The businessman was granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in 2012 and split his time between China and the UK. 

What is Yang Tengbo accused of?

Yang was first excluded from Britain by then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman in 2023, when the UK Home Office said he was believed to have carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed Yang had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”.

He later brought legal action for a review of the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), arguing that it was unlawful. The tribunal in London heard that he had said he avoided involvement in politics and had only limited links to the Chinese state.

His representative told the tribunal he had never been a senior member of the CCP and had not carried out activities on its behalf.

Despite these claims from Yang and his representative, his appeal at the SIAC was dismissed on Thursday.

The businessman had visited the UK regularly, attending events at a series of royal residences, including Andrew’s birthday party at his home.

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The SIAC hearing heard Yang was barred because he was believed to be associated with China’s United Front Work Department, which seeks to gather intelligence on influential overseas nationals. The ruling said in his witness statement Yang had “downplayed his links” with the group.

Which public figures has he been linked to?

Yang has met two former prime ministers over the past 15 years, according to the Sunday Times – David Cameron at a Downing Street reception and Theresa May at a black-tie event.

The businessman allegedly used so-called “elite capture” tactics to target senior figures in the British establishment.

It is not known precisely when the Yang first met Andrew, the disgraced son of Queen Elizabeth II, but a statement released by Andrew said the pair met through “official channels”.

At a hearing in July, the SIAC appeal tribunal heard that the prince’s aide told the suspected spy that he could help in potential dealings with Chinese investors. 

According to court documents, the businessman was so close to Andrew that he was authorised to act on his behalf in an international financial initiative with potential partners and investors in China.

Yang also received an invitation to Andrew’s 60th birthday party in 2020.

Yang is believed to have visited Buckingham Palace twice, and also entered St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the invitation of Andrew.

A letter from Andrew’s aide, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on Yang’s mobile devices when he was stopped at a port in 2021. The letter stated: “Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”

Yang was also appointed by Prince Andrew as the head of the Chinese arm of his Dragons’ Den-style entrepreneur business Pitch@Palace, the Times have reported.

Andrew invited Yang, described in the court circular as the founder-partner of Pitch@Palace China, to an evening meeting at Buckingham Palace in June 2018. Four days later, Yang was back at the palace to meet Andrew with Wang Bingnan, China’s vice-minister of commerce.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson from Prince Andrew’s office said that Andrew had “followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised”.

“The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.

“He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security,” the spokesperson said.

What has the UK government said?

Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted he was “concerned about the challenge that China poses” after the alleged spy was able to form links at the heart of the British establishment.

Speaking during a visit to Norway, Starmer would not comment on any conversations he may have had with the royal family over the H6 case but added that the government “are concerned about the challenge that China poses.”

Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith described the situation as “the tip of the iceberg”.

“The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“The reality for us is very simple – China is a very clear threat.”

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